The Story From My Side
by arielchai
Summary: Catching Fire from Prim's side of the story. This will span the whole book from the Victory Tour to the bombing in 12. Read and enjoy :


The bell rings, signaling the end of tenth period. It's History now. And because today's my sister Katniss' Victory Tour, so I'm getting out of school early.

I pack my bag and sling it over my shoulder. Waving goodbye to my friends, I walk out of the classroom.

At the door, the teacher stops me. Miss Dahlia is my favorite teacher, and definitely not because of the subject she teaches.

"Hi, Prim! This must be a big day for your family!" she says.

"Oh yes, Miss Dahlia." I smile.

"Goodbye, Prim." She leans down and touches my cheek, then straightens up again.

I'm already taking off down the halls. "Bye!" I shout over my shoulder.

When I reach the house, I notice the outrageous amount of trailers and cars parked outside it. In the doorway is Effie. She spins toward me in her spindly stilettos and catches sight of me. She's sporting a unnatural pumpkin-orange wig.

"Well hello my darling!" she titters in her affected Capitol accent. I barely have time to respond before she literally pulls me in the door. Consulting a clipboard, she shrieks orders to the bustling people inside in her incredibly high pitched voice.

"We have a tight schedule, so I suppose you should go change your outfit and get ready for your interview!" she says.

"Thank you, Effie," I say as I walk towards my room. Lying on my bed is a simple sky blue frock , a matching ribbon, and a pair of squeaking clean white boots that are so polished they shine under the fluorescent light. Beside the pile of finery is a note in beautiful handwriting.

_I thought you'd like this. You'll look gorgeous in it. – Cinna_

I fold the note and put it in my bedside drawer. Then, I go to the bathroom, and turn on the shower. The warm water running down my back feels like summer rain. I'm not used to having limitless cold and hot water at the turn of a tap. We only used to have cold water at our old house.

Then, I slip on the dress Cinna has laid out for me. I run the material between my fingertips. It's smooth and luxuriant. Silk.

After Katniss won the Games, she came back so stinking rich, with a house in the Victor's Village, and a whole lot of privileges. I don't mind all this, but I'd rather we be poor than to have Katniss be in the Games.

Actually, it wasn't meant to be her Games. It was meant to be mine.

I still have nightmares about it. The worst ones were when Katniss was at the Games. Getting hurt because of me. Having to pretend she loves Peeta because of me. And now, being threatened by the Capitol. Because of me.

She's given up everything for me. Her whole life is me. She once told Caesar Flickerman that I'm the only person she loves in the whole world.

And I love her. I wouldn't be able to survive without her.

Today's the Victory Tour. And I can feel the tension in waves around her.

Once, when I couldn't sleep, I tiptoed to Katniss' room to find her. She always manages to calm me down. Then, I saw the light was on. It was the middle of the night. Hadn't she slept yet?

I heard muffled sobbing from the room. I peered through the crack in the keyhole, and saw that she was crying. My sister, who never cries.

She was reassuring herself. Her face was scared, grey eyes wide in fear. Then, she whispered, loud enough for me to hear. The sentence sent cold fear straight to my heart.

"_Once you kill a person, they never leave you."_

I had stuffed the front of my nightshirt into my mouth to keep the scream coming out.

Then I shake off the memories, which were getting much too scary for me.

I tie my hair with the ribbon and put on the boots. After I survey myself in the mirror. Pretty enough.

I make my way downstairs. Cinna sees me. "Like it, Prim? You look fantastic." I nod back. "Thanks so much, Cinna!" I say brightly. I feel very excited. My mother's standing behind me now. I turn to her.

"Where's Katniss?" I ask.

"In her bathroom. She's getting ready for the train," says my mother.

I want to ask her when she'll be done, because I won't be able to see her for twelve more days and I want to spend a bit of time with her now. But Effie has caught sight of me.

"Don't you look wonderful, darling? Cinna is a genius. Look at the garments he designed for your sister and now for you! But we're on a tight schedule. Why don't we go on to the kitchen and get ready for your interview?" says Effie excitedly.

"Thank you, Effie," I say as warmly as I can. "Of course. You're brilliant, Effie."

Her eyes soften at my praise but she continues to lead me to the camera crew. On the way there, I see the living room has now been transformed into something of a designer's studio. Sketchbooks, clothing and materials have been laid out everywhere. But now we've reached the kitchen, and the crew is adjusting their cameras and equipment. Although I did countless interviews when Katniss was still in the Games, I still feel a bit shaky and nervous now, but I try my best not to let it show. "Hi, I'm Prim, Katniss' sister. Effie said you wanted an interview from me?"

A man from the Capitol that has multicolored hair and a tag saying 'Director' nods. "Just stand over there and we'll film you in a while."

They continue checking equipment, and then the director says "And three, two, one, and we're live."

A man starts asking me questions. Do I like the new house, how did I feel at certain points during the Games when watching Katniss. I answer the questions honestly. I can feel myself tilting up towards the cameras and my hands extend to my sides.

When they ask about how I like my sister's new boyfriend, Peeta, I smile and say "He's been really nice to me. But I bet he has to if he wants to win the younger sister's approval-" I tilt my head to the side. "-especially since Katniss loves me more," I say cheekily.

Big laugh from the crew and the people in the house. I answer a few more questions, and I'm done.

When I hurry out, I see Cinna's putting a fur coat on Katniss. She lifts her arms. "Ermine," Cinna says, as Katniss feels the white fur. A few more things go on and my mother comes flying up with the pin in her outstretched hand. "For good luck." It's the mockingjay pin.

Effie claps her hands and says brightly, "Attention, everyone! We're about to do the first outdoor shot, where the victors greet each other at the beginning of their marvellous trip. All right, Katniss, big smile, you're very excited, right?" then sends my sister flying out the door. I smile at Effie's predictableness.

I see Peeta's coming through the front door. Something flits across Katniss' eyes and m=her face breaks into a smile, and then starts running towards him. He catches her and spins her then slips, and they fall into the snow, and kiss. They look like the happy couple they should be.

But I know better.

Katniss pulls him to his feet, and pulls him towards the waiting car. We get to the station, where she waves goodbye to everyone. She hugs me tight, and whispers softly to me. "Don't miss me, little duck. I'll be back before you know it." She pulls back and looks into my eyes. "I'll love you wherever I am." The train's pulling into the station.

I nod, and there are lumps in my throat as I speak. "Oh, Katniss," I say. "I love you too. Wherever you are. Remember me. "

At this point, everyone lets out a sigh. They sound like they're touched. Even Effie clutches her heart and wipes away a tear.

And then the train's gone and I'm left there clutching my mother's hand, wishing my sister luck for the days to come.


End file.
